Magnolia

Book excerpt: Magnolia’s rocky coastline, long known to the native population for its abundant fishing grounds, was “discovered” in 1623 by a European expedition sent by England’s King James to establish an outpost for exporting fish. Over the next three centuries, the settlement gradually grew from a sparsely developed farming community into a summer resort destination for the rich and famous. In Magnolia: A Brief History, author Lisa Peek Ramos, a fourth-generation native, chronicles the incredible transformation of Magnolia. In its heyday the famed Oceanside Hotel and Casino attracted such notables as big-band leader Sammy Eisen, movie star Lucille Ball, and John Philip Sousa and his Marine Corps Band. The stock market crash of 1929 and the destruction of the Oceanside Hotel, a victim of Magnolia’s well-documented “fire curse,” ended the golden years. In the decades since, Magnolia has once again transformed itself and is now known as a quaint, vibrant seaside community.